Chapter 296

Chapter 296

The other officers rushed forward, but the man suddenly exploded with strength, broke free from their hold, and bolted deeper into the forest.

The others immediately gave chase.

Lisbeth followed. Sebastian stayed by her side, his brow furrowed. "You shouldn't go. The rain's too heavy, and the ground's too slippery…"

"I have to go."

Lisbeth was stubborn. She couldn't run fast on her own, so she simply jumped onto Sebastian's back. "I have to see this criminal caught with my own eyes!"

Her sudden jump made Sebastian stumble before he steadied himself. His hands instinctively supported her legs. Hearing her words, he was utterly helpless. "Get down first."

"No."

Sebastian set her down on the ground. Lisbeth glared at him, puffing her cheeks. Sebastian couldn't help but smile. He took off his rain poncho and put it on her, fastening the collar. Then he turned around and crouched in front of her.

Lisbeth didn't move.

His clothes were already soaked through by the rain.

Through the sound of the rain, Sebastian urged, "Hurry. We'll lose them."

Lisbeth didn't hesitate any longer. She climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders.

Sebastian immediately took off running.

After a few steps, he suddenly realized the rain wasn't hitting his face anymore. There was a shadow over his forehead. Looking closer, he realized it wasn't a shadow at all—it was Lisbeth's arms.

She'd formed a little tent over Sebastian's head with her hands, her thumbs gently pressed against his forehead, blocking all the rain.

Sebastian's lips curved. Suddenly, he felt filled with strength. He carried her forward at a sprint.

Soon, they caught up with the officers.

But it wasn't because they'd run so fast. The officers had already stopped. They were in a standoff with the criminal.

The criminal had his arm locked around a hostage. It was Leopold.

Leopold's eyes were closed, his head tilted. He seemed unconscious. Blood from his forehead was streaming down, washed away by the rain, until no more blood flowed and the wound became starkly visible.

"Leopold?"

Lisbeth jumped down from Sebastian's back and shouted.

Leopold didn't react at all.

Sebastian put his arm around Lisbeth's shoulders and glanced at the chief.

The chief nodded slightly, signaling them to stay calm. Then he looked at the criminal and said in a low voice, "If you release the hostage now, we can negotiate everything."

"You think I'm an idiot? I don't believe you!" The criminal had no rain gear. He wore a black T-shirt, already soaked through. Rain kept pouring into his mouth as he spoke. He was cold and hungry, irritable and hostile toward everyone.

"Give me your rain poncho first."

Without a word, the chief took off his poncho. But as soon as he approached with it, the criminal shouted, "Don't come closer, or I'll kill him!"

He had a knife—from who knows where—pressed against Leopold's throat. And the knife was razor-sharp. Just resting against his neck, it had already left a line of blood.

In the blink of an eye, the rain washed the blood away.

"Okay, okay, don't get worked up. I won't come closer." The chief had to stop. He balled up the poncho and tossed it over.

The poncho landed on the ground, still some distance from the criminal. He was dragging an unconscious Leopold with him. He tried to hook the poncho with his foot but couldn't reach it.

Finally, he looked angrily at the officers. Anyone who could be a cop had superior physique and height—they were all tall, strong men. They looked hard to deal with.

The criminal's gaze finally settled on Sebastian and Lisbeth.

Sebastian immediately understood his intentions. He moved Lisbeth behind him. "I can cooperate with you. And I don't have a weapon. I'm not a cop. Even…"

He glanced at Leopold.

"I can take his place as your hostage. He's unconscious right now—he can't cooperate with you. Even with him as a hostage, you're stuck here. But if you take me, it's different. You can tie my hands, take me with you. Then you have a chance to escape."

The criminal sneered. "You think I'm stupid? That night at the hospital, you fought pretty well. I know I'm no match for you. If I take you as a hostage, you'll probably overpower me the next second."

Sebastian's brow twitched. "Then what do you want?"

Seeing the negotiation about to fail, the chief quickly pulled out his standard script. "Listen to me. If you're willing to put down the hostage now, we can go easy on you. As long as no one dies, everything's negotiable. But if you actually hurt someone, or if someone dies, the law won't be lenient. If you're smart, you know what to choose."

The criminal spat. "You think I'm a fool? That's your standard line! If I really put down the knife today, you won't go easy on me at all!"

The chief frowned. "You seem to have a bias against us."

"I've just seen your true colors." The criminal gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on Lisbeth. "Everyone else, back off. Let her come over."

"No." Sebastian immediately refused. "She's a woman. She's timid. She can't cooperate with you."

"Whether she can cooperate is up to me." The criminal slashed Leopold's arm with the knife. "You'd better listen to me, or you'll only be taking his corpse back!"

That cut jolted Leopold awake.

He opened his eyes, still a bit dazed, but quickly remembered what had happened before he lost consciousness. He'd left the cave and spotted the criminal.

He'd chased after him alone.

But the criminal was extremely cunning. He hadn't caught him—instead, he'd been ambushed and knocked out.

When he came to, he heard the criminal's words. Ignoring the pain in his arm, he shouted to stop him. "No! Lisbeth, you can't agree to this!"

The moment he finished speaking, the criminal punched him. Leopold had already suffered a head injury and lost a lot of blood. Now his whole body was freezing, trembling constantly. The punch sent him sprawling.

The officer nearby immediately drew his gun, but the criminal reacted just as fast. He yanked Leopold up and used him as a shield, successfully blocking the gun.

"Go ahead. Shoot." The criminal was smug.

Of course the officer couldn't shoot. His grip on the gun tightened. "If you've got the guts, let him go. I'll fight you one-on-one."

"You think I'm stupid? There are so many of you—how could I possibly beat you? My demand is simple. Let that woman come over, or I'll kill him right now. Then you kill me. At worst, I'll just take someone with me when I die. Worth it."

The criminal wasn't afraid of them at all. He even seemed eager to try it, as if he really wanted to.

He was serious.

After realizing this, Lisbeth couldn't just stand by. She patted Sebastian's arm and stepped out from behind him. "I can come over, but let's be clear first. Do you want to use me to replace your current hostage, or do you want both of us as hostages?"

The criminal was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected her to ask so calmly and rationally. He actually thought about it. "Replace the hostage. This guy's half-dead. I can't take him with me."

Dragging a barely-alive Leopold meant he couldn't escape. Just standing here in a stalemate wasn't a solution either.

After fleeing all night and the massive mental strain, the criminal was reaching his limit too.

He just wanted to get out of here immediately.

Lisbeth nodded. "Fine. Trade me for him. But I can't be sure you'll keep your word. If you grab me and I can't fight back, and you don't let him go, then we'll both be your hostages."

Her words sounded like a tongue twister. The criminal looked impatient. "Just tell me what you want."

Lisbeth looked at Sebastian and nodded slightly. Without a word being said, Sebastian understood.

"I don't agree."